Apparatus for affixing fastening elements to fur garments



March 1, 195 5 A. A. LITTMAN 2 7 2 APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FASTENING 0 ELEMENTS TO FUR GARMENTS 2 Shegets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17 1951 'IIIIIIIIIIIIII;I.IIIII)A INVENTOR ARTHUR A .LITTMAN 'AT TORNEYS Filed Aug. 17, 1951 March 1, 1955 A. A. LITTMAN 2 7 APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FASTENING 02901 ELEMENTS TO FUR GARMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A II' INVENTOR 3] ARTHUR A.LITTMAN 3| ATTORNEYS United Stat zes Patent APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING FASTENING ELEMENTS TO FUR GARMENTS This invention relates to fur garment making and more particularly to a novel apparatus for affixing the fastening elements to the garments.

Heret-ofore, the aflixing of the fastening elements, namely the hooks and eyes, to a fur garment has been a slow and tedious task, almost always requiring skilled or semi-skilled labor.

In the usual practice, the hook is affixed to one edge of the garment by slitting the hide or fur near the outer edge thereof and slipping the loop ends of the hook into the slit and sewing the two loops to the inside of the hide. This is usually done during the making of the garment and before the edge is stitched in place or the lining is applied.

The eye, however, cannot be secured to the garment until after the garment is completed and properly fitted on the wearer. This means of course that the lining has been sewed in place so that the garment presents the neat and attractive appearance necessary for the sale thereof. During the fitting the position of the eye is determined and it then becomes necessary to affix the eye at the selected point to the finished garment.

The usual practice for securing the eye to the garment aft-er properly determining its position is to make a slit, usually on the outside of the fur, into which the shank or sewing loops of the :eye is inserted. Great care must be exercised in order to hide the eye as much as possible and to avoid unsightly bunching of the fur. The lining is then removed or opened at the adjacent edge and the inner loop portions of the eye sewed to the lining or inner surface of the hide. The lining must then be restitched in its proper position. 7

As is readily apparent, this procedure requires a highly skilled person so that the resulting garment does not give an unsightly Ecrude appearance and to avoid unnecessary weakening or damaging of the hide. Obviously, this operation is time consuming and in addition requires that someone skilled in the art be available in the shop during the time when the fur or garment is fitted to the wearer.

Therefore, one of the primary object-s of my invention is to provide a novel apparatus for applying the tfiastening elements to a finished garment, which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages and requires no slitting of the fur, opening of the lining, and one in which the work may be done by any ordinary layman.

A salient feature of my invention is to provide a special type of hook and eye having prong-like terminals in lieu of the sewing loops and which when placed in the proper position, can be quickly and firmly secured to the fur garment in a neat and attractive manner wit-hout otherwise damaging or weakening the fur.

Another important object of my invention is to provide the novel machine [for securing the hooks and eyes to the fur garment with a base or anvil member lformed as an elongated thin tongue, which tongue may be inserted between the stitches of the lining and under the hide to turn the ends of the prongs in the hooks and eyes upward and back into the hide.

Amore specific object of my invention to to provide the head or hammer member of my machine with means for selectively holding and receiving the hook and the eye elements in the proper position as desired.

A further advantage of utilizing my machine lies in the tact that the hook may be set back from the edge of the garment after the edge has been stitched or sewed in place, without slitting the hide, and that the eye may be secured at a pre-determined position without slitting the hide or removing the lining, whereby the ed-ges of the fur garment will overlap and cover the interlocking position of the hooks and eyes.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a simple, practical and reliable construction that is economical to manufacture, easy to assemble and positive in its operation.

-With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed. A preferred and practical embodiment of my invention is show; and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whic Figure l is a side elevational view of my novel machine for aflixing the hooks and eyes to the hide, part of the base and anvil member being broken away to illustrate certain details of construction;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the head or hammer member of my machine;

Figure '3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the base or anvil member of my machine;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of my novel hooks which is used in conjunction with my new means of alfixing the fastening elements to the fur garments;

Figure 5 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the hook;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of my novel eyes used in carrying out my prescribed method;

Figure 8 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 9 is a rear elevational view;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section, illustrating the first step necessary in affixing the hook to the edge fold of my 'fur garment;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary bottom plan view similar to Figure 2, of the hammer member of the machine, but showing in particular how the hook is held in position therein;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to Figure 10 of the drawings, but illustrating a further step in affixing the hook to the edge fold of the garment;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the first step necessary to apply the eye to the outer portion of the fur garment at the pre-selected point;

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 1 3, but illustrating a further step in afiixing the eye to the garment;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the head of the machine and showing the position of the eye held therein;

Figure 16 is a fragmentary sectional view through the edge of the .garment taken on the line 16-16 of Figure 13, looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating how the base and anvil member of my machine may be placed between the stitching of the lining and hide;

Figure 17 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the finished garment with the fastening elements properly secured in place, and showing in particular a hook and eye interlocked to hold the garment in its closed position.

Figure 18 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustratin'g a step similar to Figure 13 of the drawings, but showing a modified anvil member to be used where the eye is to be placed very close to the edge of the garment.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates one type of my improved machine utilized to affix the fastening elements to the fur garments.

Obviously, my machine may be made from any desired material and from any number of parts. However, in the preferred embodiment, I form the anvil'member .10 and hammer member 11 on the opposed ends of a single strip of spring metal 12. The spring metal 12 is U- shaped in construction and consists primarily of an upper stretch 13 and a lower base stretch 14. The lower base stretch 14 is formed as a narrow thin tongue, with the anvil portion 10 thickened somewhat to; receive the two parallel recesses 15, the purpose of which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The hammer or head 11 which is formed integral with the upper stretch 13 lies directly over the anvil member 10 and is provided with a transverse recess 16 which opens out on the front portion of the head and extends entirely across from side to side. Directly under the recess 16 on the under side of the hammer member is a longitudinally extending centrally disposed projection 17. Adjacent the rear portion of the projection 17 is another transverse recess 18 which opens out angularly on the hammer bottom and extends reaW/ardiy therefrom. As will become apparent, the recess 16 is adapted to receive and hold the hook portion and the recess 18 receives the loop of the eye portion.

Referring now to Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawing it can be seen that I provide novel fastening elements to be used with the above described machine, and forming an important part of my prescribed method.

The hook element 19 illustrated in Figures 4, and 6, is formed from a single piece of heavy gauge wire bent to provide a hook portion 29 and a shank comprising two parallel members 21. Extending at right angles from the shank portions 21 are parallel prong terminals 22. While it is not necessary, the prongs 22 may be roughened or notched at 23 to provide a better grip on the hide.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 illustrate the novel formation of my eye elements. The eye 25 is also formed from a single piece of heavy gauge wire and includes the eye loop 26 and right angularly extending prongs 27. The prongs 27 may also be formed with the roughened edges 28, and it is to be noted that both the hook and eye elements may be covered with a fabric P which is designed to match the color and texture of the fur garment.

One of the salient features of my invention resides in the novel method for securing my hook and eye elements to the fur. As previously stated, the hooks and eyes were usually sewed to the fur garment and necessitated the slitting of the fur, removing of the lining, and then sewing the loop portions of the elements to the hide or lining, and re-stitching the lining to its proper position.

Figures 10, 11 and 12 illustrate the steps necessary to afiix the hook element 19 to the inner edge of the garment in accordance with my new and novel method, which steps eliminate the slitting of the fur, etc.

In the first step, the garment G is laid on a work table with the outside portion 29 of the garment facing the work surface. If desired, the edge fold 39 of the garment G may already be stitched in place, but the lining has not yet been applied. 1 then slip the thin tongue and anvil member of my machine A between the lines of stitches (if the edge has already been stitched) and between the under sides of the outer surface 29 and edge fold 30. The book portion 29 is slipped into the recess 16 of the hammer head, and it is to be noted that the laterally extending parallel shank portions 21 are received on either side of the projection 17, and in this manner the hook is held firmly to the head of my machine. The position of the hook relative to the edge of the garment is then determined and the anvil 10 inserted to that point. Pressure is now exerted on the actuating knob K of the machine, and the sharp prongs 22 of the hook penetrate the hide 30 from the fur side and are guided by the parallel extending recess and thence turned back into the hide so that the hook is firmly secured to the inner edge of the garment. The lining is then affixed to the garment and stitched in place.

After the purchaser has had the garment properly fitted and the positions of the eye elements have been determined, the garment is then laid face up on the work surface. Referring in particular to Figures 13, 14, 15 and 16, it can be seen that the loop 26 of the eye 24 is inserted in the recess 18 in the head 11 of the machine A with the prong terminals 27 extending downwardly towards the outer surface of the hide or fur. Figure 16 illustrates quite clearly how the base stretch 14 will easily fit between the line of stitching 31, the line of stitching 31 being utilized to secure the lining 32 to the edge fold 33 of the garment.

After the anvil member 10 has been inserted between the. lining 32 and the edge fold 33 and extended to the desired position for affixing the eye thereto, the actuating knob K is again depressed and the recesses 15 will turn the prongs 27 upward and back into the hide and the eye will be firmly affixed to the outer surface 29 of the garment G.

Figure 17 clearly illustrates the fastening of the two edges of the finished garment G, with the hooks and eyes in their interlocked positions, and again it is to be noted that the hook 19 is secured to the edge fold 30 in such a manner that the edge fold 30 overlaps the interlocking position of the hooks and eyes and hides them from view, whereby the garment presents a neat and attractive outer surface. In the finished garment the edge folds 30 and 33 are secured to the outer fur hide 29 by lines of stitching 34.

On very rare occasions it becomes necessary to place the eye member quite close to the outer edge of the garment at a point in which the prong terminals will lie between the edge fold 33 and the outer hide 29. In this instance, I provide a modified anvil member 10 as clearly shown in Figure 18 of the drawings. This anvil member is integral with the stretch 14 but extends diagonally rearward therewith and is provided with the usual recesses 15. As shown, the anvil 10' and narrow stretch 14 is inserted between the lining and then drawn rearwardly so that the anvil portion 10 will slip between the edge fold 33 and outer hide 29. The hammer of my machine is actuated in a manner similar to the above described steps and the eye may be firmly secured to the outer hide 29.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of constructions may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for afiixing hooks and eyes of the type having sharp prong terminals to fur garments comprising, a U-shaped body formed from a single length of spring metal, an anvil member formed on the outer end of one stretch of said body, said anvil member being of a size and configuration to be inserted between the lines of stitching of said fur garment, a hammer member formed on the outer end of the other stretch of said body for cooperation with said anvil member, a transverse recess on the forward portion of said hammer member, a transverse recess on the under portion of said hammer member and extending angularly and rearwardly therefrom, whereby said hammer may be adapted to alternately hold and receive a hook and eye as desired.

2. An apparatus for affixing hooks and eyes of the type having sharp prong terminals to fur garments comprising, a body having an elongated hammer head unit and an anvil member extending horizontally beneath said hammer head unit, said anvil member being of a size and configuration to be inserted between the lines of stitching of said fur garment, said hammer member cooperating with said anvil member, a transverse recess on the forward portion of said hammer member, a longitudinally extending centrally disposed projection on the under portion of said hammer member, a transverse recess on the under portion of said hammer member ad acent said projection and extending angularly and rearwardly therefrom, whereby said hammer member may be adapted to alternately hold and receive a hook and eye as desired.

3. An apparatus for affixing hooks and eyes of the type having sharp prong terminals to fur arments comprising, an elongated body having a hammer head unit on one end and an anvil member extending horizontally beneath said head unit on the other end and cooperating with said hammer unit, said anvil member being of a size and configuration to be inserted between the lines of stitching of said fur garment, a transverse recess on the forward portion of said hammer member, a transverse recess on the under portion of said hammer member and extending angularly and rearwardly therefrom. whereby said hammer member may be adapted to alternately hold and receive a hook and eye as desired.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bradford Nov. 7, 1871 Wirth May 11, 1897 5 Medearis Apr. 9, 1907 Pearson Feb. 9, 1909 Michel Aug. 9, 1910 6 Ferguson Aug. 9, 1910 Michon Feb. 26, 1918 Telli Sept. 5, 1922 Dingwall Dec. 29, 1925 Snyder Aug. 27, 1929 Babcock July 7, 1936 Curtiss Feb. 2, 1937 Germain Oct. 22, 1940 

